Hunting Laws In The USA

[OffSpring]

Hi Everyone,

It's not strictly chicken related but is kind of related to animals/livestock...

Can anyone please clear up a few questions I have regarding hunting/the laws regarding firearms in the USA.

What animals are people allowed to hunt and where are people allowed to hunt (on their own property, in public woodland etc.) and at what time of the year can people hunt different species?

Do you need a hunting license and if so how much does one cost? Is america planning to change/restrict the hunting laws anytime soon?

I'm sorry if this post offends anyone but I am not the sort of person to kill for sport. I want to be able to teach my family the importance of respect for life and to take responsibility for what we eat and not just eat mass produced animals that we are unsure of it's origin.

Many thanks for helping!

 

[OffSpring]

Thanks for your reply egh!

I've just been looking at the link you posted and I didn't realise how complicated the whole system was!

I thought it would be as simple as just hunting dear in the spring and small game in the autumn etc.

I don't know why people go to all that trouble and expense!

It's enough to put me off right at the start - but that's probably the intention...

 

[lurky]

You cant shoot deer in the spring, the does are all having babies. I stopped hunting years ago because they use the sport to rob you. You dont just buy a license, you then have to buy a stamp for just about everything you plan to hunt. You have to apply to hunt some game. Then they have so many gun control laws its ridiculous. All that does is make it harder for the law abiding citizens.......criminals dont follow the rules. I used to hunt every year but due to the increased cost i have not hunted in about 5 years. If you were ever to move here,(i saw the other post) you would have to move to New Hampshire. Its called the "live free or die" state. I think they have the least amount of rules, anywhere in NH is close to the coast. They also have a good moose population they like to thin out. Moose is delicious, although i could NEVER shoot one.

 

[wolfpack62001]

Like egh said every State is different.
Here in Alabama you can hunt deer for 3 months in the Autum for a deer a day, no tags nothing really restrictive.
Permits cost 25.00 and it covers all game for the year, fishing runs 12.00 and is good for all State land.
In Alabama you can hunt anything Wild to include Cyotoe and Boar, no limits and all year round, same for Bobtail Cats and Lynx.
You might want to check on Alaska, they may give you a good idea on what you can do and not do.
Oh and befor I forget, If you own the Land you can hunt it year around, no permits and no restrictions, Im pretty sure that is nation wide.

 

[OffSpring]

Quote:
That is the same here in the UK as well but unfortunately land is so expensive here, but I guess that's because there is much less of it...

 

[wolfpack62001]

Thanks Guys! now I have the Urge to go out and sit in a tree all morning just to get a look at a WhiteTail.
My DW will be so thrilled, but on the flip side my Son loves it.

 

[thndrdancr]

Wow, where we live, in Nebraska, you have to have a permit to even hunt on your OWN land! I wonder how many states dont require that?

Taxes are terrible here as well, one of top ten highest in the nation, and no one really knows why. We dont have coastline, we dont have any huge cities, etc. Most of the seniors are moving to other states, because they can no longer afford to live in the state they were born in, even if they do have their house paid off.

I was surprised to see that in South Dakota, you can hunt from the road, not allowed here. We have pretty steep permit fee's here.

Jill

 

[keeperofthechickens]

I am not a big fan any fee but at least in Minnesota the money from permits and licensing go back into programs for wildlife. So as long as they do that I'll pay it.

The biggest costs are out of state licenses, they are triple the cost of what a resident of that state pays.

 

[2mnypets]

LOL wolfpack....had that feeling for awhile now. I know my DH is happy about it too. Offspring, in the state of Illinois deer and turkey have seasons just like most states. Deer is only hunted with archery from Oct. 1-Nov. 15, Nov. 19-28, Dec. 3 & Jan 17 and handgun, muzzleloader & shotgun from Nov. 16-18, Nov. 29- Dec. 2 and Jan 18-20. Turkey has spring hunting Mar. 29-30 for youth turkey south season, and April 5-6 for youth turkey north season. Spring shotgun or archery season is April 7- May 8 for the south part of the state and April 14- May 15 for the north part of the state. Fall archery turkey season is Oct. 1- Nov. 15, Nov. 19- Nov. 28, Dec. 3- Jan 17. Fall shotgun turkey season is Oct. 20-28. They do these dates so the archery and shotgun seasons don't collide at the same time. All shotgun, muzzleloading and handgun hours are from 1/2 hour before sunrise to sunset. Archery is 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 after sunset.

Max is one deer per firearm permit whether it's a handgun, muzzleloader, shotgun or archery. Each permit applied for shotgun, handgun or muzzleloader, whether it's deer or turkey, runs you $15.00. Archery permits for deer is $15.50 or get two permits for $26.00 If you pay for two permits for shotgun etc. you will get one antlerless and one either sex for the deer. If you get one permit, you will get either sex. Hunting license is $7.50 or you can get a combo hunting/fishing license for $19.25. You must also pay for a habitat stamp which is $5.50 whether you are a resident or non-resident. Fall archery turkey permits are $5.50 as well. Firearms permits are the only thing you have to send away for. Archery permits can be bought over the counter at licensed vendor stores. You are also required to have a card stating that you can carry, use a firearm or purchase ammunitition.

So my husband I spend $26.00 for our hunting license and habitat stamps in the fall. We pay either $30-$60 in the spring for our fall deer permits (depending if we each want one or two permits). As you can see at least the money put out is not all at once. The other thing I wanted to say was "we" (meaning my husband's family & myself) hunt for food. We take what we need to get through the winter and that's it. We aren't trophy hunters who are on the prowl for that 30 point buck. We are just as happy to take a doe as we are to take a buck. When we take an animal down, we make sure there is only one shot. That shot has to be guaranteed humane or we won't take it. When the animal is down, we pray over the animal thanking it and God for allowing it's life to nourish our bodies. We take natural wildlife very seriously. If we don't get a deer or turkey, that's ok too. We were in God's country and we got to witness all of it's miracles. My husband says that deer and turkey season is his therapy time. It's a time for reflection, becoming one with nature and appreciating all the things society takes for granted. Not to mention, it's the only time that my husband and I can really concentrate on being together. We work as a team with scouting and pushes. It's just him and I sitting or walking and communicating without talking. Sometimes you can say everything by saying nothing.

 

[Bamaman]

Actually in Alabama you are only allowed to hunt bobcats during deer and Turkey season. Lynx do not exist in Alabama so there are no laws regarding them. This year there is a three buck limit on whitetail deer, but as many does as you would like to harvest. We have so many deer here that hunting is the only effective way of controlling their populations and the three buck limit will hopefully help with this problem. There are a few more regulations on migratory birds, like state and Federal duck stamps, and HIP(harvest information program) permit. Also you must have a hunting license even to hunt on your own land in alabama and all other hunting regulations also apply.

Offspring: Not to offend, but you say that you are not the kind of person that hunts for sport, so do you hunt for food, or not at all? I can see where someone might not want to kill an animal, but many people are trying to abolish hunting/trapping. However, hunting and trapping are the only ways of controlling wildlife populations, with out hunting/trapping wildlife populations would explode, which would lead to disease, starvation, and ultimatly a slow painful death.